Chital deer have a keen sense of smell and excellent hearing. They also swim well and take readily to water.

Antlers: Their antlers are usually three-pronged, curve in a lyre shape and may grow up to 75cm in length.

Males sporting hard antlers are dominant over those in velvet or those without antlers, irrespective of their size and other factors.

Relationship with Langurs: An interesting relationship has been observed between herds of deer and Langurs. Spotted deer apparently benefit from the Langurs' good eyesight and ability to post a lookout in the treetops, where they can help to raise the alarm if a predator approaches. For the Langurs' part, the deer's superior sense of smell assists in early predator warning. The deer also benefit from tree fruits dropped by the langurs.

Spotted Deer, or Axis Deer or Chital, are a species of deer native to India and countries surrounding.

Spotted Deer are herbivores, meaning that they mainly eat plant matter. Grass makes up a large proportion of the diet, but they also feed on herbaceous plants, fallen fruits and browse on twigs and leaves.

Breeding

Spotted Deer reach sexual maturity at 14-17 months of age. Mating can occur all year round but ranges with distribution. Breeding season tends to peak between April-May.

The gestation period for these animals is 7-8 months, to where 1 fawn is born. It is rare for twins or more than 2 young to be born.

Behaviour

These deer are largely nocturnal, and are most active at dawn and dusk. They rest during the heat of the day.

They are social animals, living in herds. There is an average of 10-30 individuals in a herd, but can reach numbers of 100. The basic social unit among chital is a matriarchal family group. This normally consists of an adult female, her offspring from the previous year, and a fawn. The usual herd is composed of two or more such family units and is often accompanied by individual deer.

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Spotted deer are hunted for their meat. They are also hunted for sport, with their antlers collected as prizes.